Tag
by JaydenBell
Summary: E/C. Fun and playful. Thought it would be a nice change from the chaos that we last saw on the show.


Disclaimer: As of yesterday I am the proud new owner of a microwave stand for my kitchen, but not much else lately. Which means I don't own anything you recognize and wouldn't try to claim such.

A/N: Nothing fancy here, just a little fun. I was going thru my file earlier and realized this was finished and I had been sitting on it for a while, so I thought I should let it out to play. E/C, no established relationship, but go with what you feel. I was just having fun. Reviews always make me smile!

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Eric thanked the staff for their cooperation and help as he gave his card to them. "If you think of anything else, call me or Detective Tripp." He walked down the hall and out the front door. The sun shone brightly; it wasn't a good day to be tracking down killers. _But what day really is, _he thought. He walked down the steps and into the school yard, watching the children play.

They had no idea that their teacher had been killed. And they didn't need to know. They just thought it was really cool that the police came to their school.

To distract them from the investigation, another cruiser and two officers were sent out with the sole job of talking to the kids about safety and letting them play with the lights in the car. The kids had a fun day and everyone was grateful that they wouldn't be scarred by the incident.

Eric smiled as the kids chased each other around. There seemed to be several games being played simultaneously. And somehow, they were keeping it all straight.

"Hey mister." A young girl was standing next to him now. He hadn't even seen her approach, but then she didn't even rise to his waist standing on her tip-toes.

He knelt down so they were face to face. "Hi there. Can I help you with something sweetheart?"

The little girl grinned. She quickly reached out and tapped on his arm. "You're it." And with that, she turned around to run.

Eric got it instantly. To children, a police officer's badge wasn't scary. They had no reason to run from it, like his suspects. He was just a cool guy to them. He sprang to his feet and ran after the little girl. He played in the school yard for about ten minutes before deciding he needed to get back to work. He snuck out unnoticed, as there were several people who were "it" and still chasing every one. He got back in his Hummer and headed back to work smiling.

MIAMIMIAMIMIAMIMIAMIMIAMI

"Hey, what's got you so smiley?" Calleigh asked as Eric walked in the lab.

"I was playing with some of the kids at the school."

"Ah. And the kid at heart breaks through."

"Something like that. It was nice to see happiness on such a crappy day. They don't know their teacher was killed; they were just told she had to go away."

"That's probably best. Children don't understand death. How on earth would they understand their teacher being _murdered_?" she asked rhetorically, as she put a comforting hand on his arm. She knew that they all had a hard time seeing kids in their crime scenes, but this wasn't any better and she knew it was upsetting him a bit that those children would never see a teacher that they loved again. "So, what did you play? With the kids?"

Eric smiled. Calleigh always knew what he was thinking and when he needed a little pick up. "I have no idea. There were rules but they also made stuff up as they went. And I'm pretty sure we were playing more than one game." He laughed at his own confusion.

"Well, at least you had fun. I've been stuck in here lifting fibers all morning." She grumbled at her fibers on the table.

Eric grinned wickedly. Just as Calleigh noticed his expression, Eric tapped her on the arm. "You're it." He moved quickly to the other side of the room, the table safely between them.

As Calleigh realized what was going on, she smiled. "What are you doing?"

Still bracing himself to run on the other side of the table, he shrugged. "You didn't get to play and I was still 'it' when I left. Now you're 'it'."

Calleigh smiled brightly. He was too much sometimes. "Are tag-backs fair?"

"Sure. If you can catch me." With that, he dashed out the door and down the hall. He was half way down the hall before she could make her way to the door. She didn't try to run after him; she knew she would have more opportunities later.

Eric kept running, without looking back, even though he didn't hear footsteps behind him. He knew she wouldn't chase him down the hall of the lab, especially in stiletto heels. But he knew she was watching him, and probably laughing. So he kept going. He knew she would catch up to him eventually.

CSIMIAMICSIMIAMICSIMIAMI

"And why am I doing this again?" Natalia asked.

"Eric started a little game." She couldn't hide a mischievous grin on her lips. "Just tell Marisol we're playing a game. After you tag her, tell her that she has to tag her brother."

"And then he's gonna come looking for you?" Natalia pointed at Calleigh.

"Yeah. And he won't care how many people were tagged between us, just that I played along. It'll make his day."

CSIMIAMICSIMIAMICSIMIAMI

Two hours later, Marisol was sneaking up behind Eric in the hall. She grabbed his hand and tugged on it playfully. "I think you're it again, little brother."

Eric whirled around to meet his sister's bright grin. "Ah. So it seems. Guess I'll have to go find my next victim." He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek before turning to leave. "See you later, Mari."

"Have fun, Eric."

CSIMIAMICSIMIAMICSIMIAMI

Eric saw Calleigh through the break room window. She was digging around in the fridge for something. She wouldn't even see him coming. He smiled as he walked in the room. Just as he was about to reach around the open door to tag her, she popped up.

"Don't even think about it." She pointed a can of whipped cream at him and took a few steps out of his reach.

"I was just coming in for a snack."

She reached forward to close the refrigerator, dessert topping still aimed at Eric. "Sure you were. I haven't seen you in a couple hours, since you took off down the hall. I'm sure Marisol has found you by now."

"Yeah, I think I did bump into my sister earlier." He pretended to think about it. "Yeah, she said someone had started a game of tag."

"How 'bout that."

Eric took a step closer; Calleigh didn't move but kept her eyes locked on his.

"Couldn't think of who would do such a childish thing while we were at work."

Calleigh kept her stance firm on her feet. "Can't imagine. I mean, it certainly wouldn't be the joker who was running down the halls of the lab earlier today."

He took another step closer. "No, I would never…" He was almost within arms reach.

"Hands where I can see 'em mister or I will shoot," she smiled.

"Whipped cream. I better be careful, huh?"

"It would be in your best interest."

He took another step and took the can from Calleigh's hands. He turned it over and sprayed a little whipped topping on his finger, then brought it to his mouth. "Hmm, pretty good." He put a little more on his finger and brought it upward. He quickly swiped his finger on Calleigh's nose. "You're it!" He took a few steps back as Calleigh wiped her nose off.

She glared at him as she strode toward him. "Eric, give me the can."

Eric continued backing up. "I don't think I should do that."

"Eric." She continued to approach him and he continued to step back.

Eric kept his eyes trained on her as he walked backward. He was so focused that he didn't realize he was out of room and stopped as his back smacked against a wall. The door was too far away and he was trapped by furniture on the sides. Calleigh was going to catch him.

Calleigh pressed her hand against his chest, effectively holding him against the wall since he had no other exits. She took the aerosol can from his hand and turned it upside down. She sprayed a small dollop of whipped cream on his nose and smiled proudly before stepping back. "You're it. No tag-backs."

FIN


End file.
